NFL insider implies the Lions could go shopping at the trade deadline, presents an edge rusher who could be availble
It’s a perfect fit.
It’s still early in the season, but ESPN’s NFL insider Dan Graziano is already trying to predict November’s trade deadline based on what he’s hearing. He published an article on Friday discussing teams that could make some moves at the deadline and the players available.
The five teams he specified could be looking to add at the deadline do not include the Lions, but Graziano goes on to talk about how the Lions are one of the only teams that have the cap space to make moves, and therefore, they may be more likely to make them. Of the players he listed, there’s one that the Lions could really have their eyes on.
A trade with the Dolphins for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips could be the perfect move for the Lions
The Dolphins’ season is not going as well as they had hoped. They’ve started 0-3 and things weren’t super great coming into the season, with some thinking this is head coach Mike McDaniels’ last chance. On top of that, Tua Tagovailoa is also struggling. This team could be headed toward a rebuild. That could make Phillips available.
The former 18th-overall pick has dealt with some injuries in the last two seasons. He tore his Achilles tendon in 2023 and then suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2024. Still, when this guy is on the field, he lives up to that 18th pick. He has two 10-sack seasons and was on his way to a third before the Achilles injury. This season, he has nine pressures through three games, but hasn’t recorded a sack yet. The pressure is solid, though. He’s tied for sixth in the league among edges.
So why would Brad Holmes and the Lions make this deal? For starters, it’s cheap, and you’re not tied to him if it doesn’t work out. Phillips is playing on his fifth-year option right now. If the Lions traded for him at the deadline, they’d owe him a little over $7 million for the rest of the season, and then they could see where things go from there. In terms of what they’d have to give to the Dolphins to make the deal, they could probably pull this off with a 2026 fifth-round pick, based on the injury history and the Dolphins’ readiness to rebuild.
Plus, the Lions got a good look at him for a week this summer during joint practices. They know what they could have with him. So, with that, the discounted contract and compensation are definitely worth keeping an eye on.